Why Do we reward stupidity ?

I have always noticed that stupidity exists. But I recently watched a documentary about stupidity and it was curious to see that they make a really valid point. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0399704/

It really is more and more difficult to find intellectual content on 1000 cable channels we broadcast in. The internet/super information highway was designed to enlighten and share knowledge. We have entered the information age and so much entertainment we find dwells on stupidity, I just cant watch TV anymore and dont own one anymore because there is nothing positive that flows from the media.

I dont think that I am an intellectual elitist. My grades are 3.5+ but I feel that has more to do with academics lowering the bar to graduate more students. The democrats are being criticized for having an intellectual leader. (I dont align myself with either party because they have formed such a bias to help businesses that donate to their party.)

I dont want to turn this into a political debate or find blame. I just wonder if anyone feels that our current culture thrives on being ignorant and absent minded. I just cant watch TV anymore and dont own one anymore because there is nothing positive that flows from the media.

Does anyone else agree? Do you think that ignorance is overly abundant?

What is mainstream these days might seem to aim for the lowest common denominator, but there are still intelligent books, films and music coming out all the time. There are some hilarious TV shows that are sharp and witty and others that are tight and well-written (admittedly, I find that most of it is British).

If you want to seek out and talk with well-read, cultured people, you can do it. You just have to look and find them.

Also, what is mainstream is what is popular, and what is popular is what appeals. What is intellectual is frequently difficult, challenging and thought-provoking, which demands effort and rewards generously. But as my father says, when he gets home in the evenings, he just wants to relax. So what is mainstream also has to provide a vege-out factor.

Something else to consider is that these days we live in an information diarrhoea world where being first is more important than being thorough. So the shit drowns out the good stuff.

But his frustration was evident as the discussion progressed. Talking, unprompted, about the debate over the expiring Bush tax cuts, Strickland said he was dumbfounded at the party's inability to sell the idea that the rates for the wealthy should be allowed to expire.

"I mean, if we can't win that argument we might as well just fold up," he said. "These people are saying we are going to insist on tax cuts for the richest people in the country and we don't care if they are paid for, and we don't think it is a problem if it contributes to the deficit, but we are not going to vote to extend unemployment benefits to working people if they aren't paid for because they contribute to the deficit. I mean, what is wrong with that? How can it be more clear?"

Government of the rich, by the rich, and for the rich is making U.S. income distribution even more unequal. The Middle class is falling further behind.

Meanwhile, the elimination of stimulus money (called 'revenue sharing' when Republican President Richard Nixon started it) will result in millions of government jobs in education, environmental clean up and highway repair disappearing.

Q: What happened the last time the U.S. government put a higher priority on deficit reduction than on jobs during a severe economic downturn?

A: The recession of 1937-1938, when the attempt to cut the deficit had the perverse result of INCREASING the federal budget deficit instead. How could this happen? Because the large increase in unemployment resulted in sharply reduced government tax collections.

THIS IS NO WAY TO GET OUT OF A RECESSION.

(Want to make some big money with little risk? If the above analysis is correct, the stock market will fall, just like 1937-1938. Look into six month put options on the Dow Jones Industrial Average or the S&P average.)